The first thing people ask is why a trip to Lake Eyre starts with a winery. The honest answer is that it makes a long drive more enjoyable, and it gives the first day some texture.

The Clare Valley is an easy introduction to South Australia’s countryside. We stop at the Sevenhill winery grounds and chapel, which have a long history connected to Jesuit settlers. It’s a gentle stop, with stone buildings, vines and a quiet feeling, and it contrasts with the huge open country you’ll see later in the trip.

Why it works as an opener

• It breaks up the drive north from Adelaide
• It shows the green, settled side of South Australia before the desert
• It’s a good chance for the group to get to know each other
• It sets up the contrast that makes the outback feel so different

By the afternoon you’ve left the vineyards behind, passed through Melrose and had lunch in Quorn. By sunset you’re in the Flinders Ranges, and it already feels like a different world.

Marree is small, dusty and easy to drive past. We stay there on purpose. It’s the natural base for exploring Lake Eyre, and it has a history that most visitors never hear about unless somebody tells them.

Marree was a hub for the camel trade. Cameleers, many of whom came from Afghanistan and the surrounding region, worked the long routes through the outback with their animals, carrying supplies to stations and settlements. The railway later replaced them, but their influence on the region lasted, and it’s often said that the Ghan railway’s name comes from them.

Why Marree works as a base

• It’s the departure point for the scenic flight over Lake Eyre
• It sits at the junction of the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks
• There’s a real sense of outback community, even though the town is small
• It gives you a night out of the vehicle before the big day

Take a bit of time to wander. There’s more history on the street than you’d expect, and the sunsets over the plains are very good.

The drive north from the Flinders Ranges to Marree isn’t empty road. It follows the route of the old Ghan railway, and the landscape is full of reminders of what used to be here.

Lyndhurst has ochre cliffs, with bands of red, yellow and white in the rock. Aboriginal people have used ochre from this area for a very long time, for ceremony and trade. A bit further on is Farina, a former railway town. At one time it had a population, a bakery and a busy station. Today most of it is ruins, and standing among the stone walls on an empty plain tells you a lot about how fragile settlement is out here.

What to look for

• The colours in the ochre cliffs, which change through the day
• Stone ruins at Farina and what’s left of the town layout
• The old railway line, which you can follow for much of the route
• The scale of the country, which gets bigger the further north you go

These stops are short, but they set up the whole trip. By the time you reach Marree you’ve already seen what the outback does to places that people have tried to hold onto.

There’s a reason the flight is built into the tour rather than sold as an extra. From the ground, Lake Eyre is hard to take in. From the air, it makes sense.

Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is Australia’s largest salt lake, around 15 metres below sea level, and it’s usually dry. Direct access to the lakebed is restricted, so the flight and the designated viewing points are the way to see it. The flight on our four day tour runs for about an hour and a half, which gives you proper time over the salt, the surrounding country and the patterns that only show from above.

Tips for the flight

• Wear dark clothing if you can, to reduce reflections in the window
• Bring a camera, but keep your eyes off the screen at least some of the time
• Sit still when asked, as the weight in a small aircraft matters
• Take motion sickness tablets if you’re prone to it

What you see will depend on recent weather. Sometimes there’s water, sometimes just cracked white salt, and either way it’s remarkable. The Arabana people are the Traditional Custodians of the lake, and we try to treat it with the respect that deserves.

When people sign up for a Lake Eyre tour, they expect salt and sky. What they don’t expect is a fossil site that stops them in their tracks. Nilpena Ediacara National Park is one of the highlights of our four day trip, and it’s often the part guests talk about most afterwards.

The fossils here belong to the Ediacaran period, roughly 550 million years ago, which is before most of the animals we think of as familiar. They’re soft-bodied creatures, preserved in the sandstone, and seeing them up close is a bit humbling. We take a guided tour of about an hour and a half, which includes the old woolshed, the blacksmith’s shop, an audio-visual presentation on the Ediacaran creatures, and a relocated fossil bed about nine metres long.

What makes it special

• It’s a window into some of the earliest complex life on the planet
• The site is on a former pastoral station, so there’s station history as well
• A guide explains what you’re looking at, which makes a big difference
• It sits on the drive south from Marree, so it fits neatly into the day

You don’t need any science background. If you can be amazed by something very old and very strange, you’ll enjoy it.

People like to know what a tour actually looks like before they commit, so here’s the four day trip laid out properly. It’s a small-group journey that starts and finishes in Adelaide and covers a surprising amount of country.

Day 1: Adelaide to the Flinders Ranges

We leave Adelaide early and head north to the Clare Valley, with a stop at Sevenhill. After Melrose and lunch in Quorn, we reach the Flinders Ranges, with time to look at the Wilpena Panorama artwork and watch the sunset over Hawker, keeping an eye out for wildlife.

Day 2: Flinders Ranges to Marree

The morning is for Wilpena Creek and one of the gorges. Then we head north on the Oodnadatta Track, following the old Ghan railway line, past the ochre cliffs at Lyndhurst and the ghost town of Farina, and into Marree for the night.

Day 3: The scenic flight, and Nilpena

This is the big day. In the morning there’s a scenic flight over Lake Eyre, which runs for around an hour and a half. After a look around Marree we drive south for a guided visit to Nilpena Ediacara National Park, where some of the oldest animal fossils on Earth are found.

Day 4: Quorn, Port Augusta and home

We visit the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden at Port Augusta, stop at Port Germein, and arrive back in Adelaide in the evening.

Accommodation is en-suite throughout, and the meals are listed on the tour page. Check there for current departure dates, because they fill early.

The Limestone Coast sits in the south-east corner of South Australia, and it has a different character from the rest of the state. Water has carved the limestone for a very long time, and the result is caves, sinkholes and some of the most unusual landscapes you can drive to in a couple of days.

Our four day tour covers Naracoorte, Mount Gambier, Kingston and the Coorong. Naracoorte is known for its caves, which hold an important fossil record. Mount Gambier is famous for its volcanic crater lakes, including the Blue Lake, which is known to change colour through the year. Kingston and the Coorong give you coastal wetlands and birdlife.

Highlights to look forward to

• The caves at Naracoorte and what they tell us about ancient animals
• Crater lakes and sinkholes around Mount Gambier
• The Coorong’s wide, quiet waterways and birds
• Fresh seafood and cool-climate wine in the region

It’s a good option if you want something greener and cooler than the desert, with plenty to see in a short time.

A few years ago silos were just grain storage. Now some of them are the main reason people drive out to a country town. Huge murals painted on silos and water towers have turned a series of small towns into a trail, and our three day tour is built around it.

The route takes in eleven silo and water tower art sites around the Yorke Peninsula, with a stop at Burra and a visit to Martindale Hall. The murals are large and often moving, usually showing local people and local stories rather than generic scenery.

Why it works as a short trip

• Three days is enough to see the sites without rushing
• The towns are small, friendly and often have a good bakery or pub
• It’s an easy trip for people who don’t want a rough outback drive
• Great for photography, especially in soft morning or evening light

Martindale Hall adds a different flavour, with its grand old house and its film history. If you like art, stories and slow country driving, this one is for you.

Most people picture the South Australian outback as red dirt, but the state has a long, wild coastline as well. Our seven day Eyre Peninsula tour follows it through Kimba, Ceduna, Streaky Bay, Fowlers Bay and Port Lincoln, and the whales are a big part of the draw.

Southern right whales travel to this part of the coast to calve during the cooler months, generally around winter into spring. Seeing a whale and her calf close to shore is something people tend to remember for years. Timing matters though, so it’s worth checking the season before you book.

What else the coast offers

• Dramatic cliffs and long, empty beaches
• Small towns with real character and good seafood
• Sand dunes at Fowlers Bay
• Port Lincoln at the end of the trip, with its fishing history

Whale sightings can never be guaranteed, because they’re wild animals. But the scenery alone makes the trip worthwhile, and the whales are a very good bonus.

Set tours suit a lot of people, but not everyone. Some travellers have a specific idea in mind, a particular group, a different pace, or a place that isn’t on the standard route. That’s where a private charter comes in.

Our private charters can cover areas like the Flinders Ranges, Coober Pedy, Dalhousie Springs and the Simpson Desert, built around what you want to see. A family group, a photography trip or a small group of friends can each ask for something different, and we’ll build it with you.

Who tends to book a private charter

• Families or friend groups who want their own pace
• Photographers who want more time at certain spots
• Travellers with a specific destination in mind
• Anyone who wants to skip the crowds and do things their way

Tell us what you’re after and we’ll work out what’s realistic. We’d rather talk it through first than promise something that doesn’t work on the ground.